Child safety in educational institutions: 1,024 recorded incidents of violence in 2025, call for an environment where children can speak

Children go to school, study at madrasas, learn from teachers or build their futures at university — parents want them to be safe in every one of those places. But when a child feels unsafe in that very environment, or is too frightened by the behaviour of someone familiar to tell anyone about their experience, the question is not only about crime; it is also about family, social and institutional relationships.

Several recent incidents have brought the question back to the fore: a madrasa teacher's bail was denied over a child abuse allegation, an imam in Jamalpur was sentenced to life imprisonment in a case over the rape of a teenage girl, and legal action was taken against a Dhaka University student over allegations of rape and blackmail. The incidents are different, and there is an important distinction between an allegation and an offence proven in court.

According to media-based data from Ain o Salish Kendra, 456 incidents of child rape and 167 incidents of attempted rape were recorded in Bangladesh in 2025. In the same period, a total of 1,024 incidents of various kinds of violence against children were recorded. Information on cases being filed was available for 590 of those incidents, meaning the outcome or judicial progress of every recorded incident is not equally known.

These statistics are not the full picture of what actually happened. Many incidents never come to light because of social shame, fear, family pressure or fear of retaliation. The experience of abuse can affect a child's confidence, studies, trust in others and future relationships, so the success of child protection cannot be measured only by the number of incidents, cases or punishments; how many incidents were prevented beforehand, how many children could report safely and how many received the help they needed matter just as much.

Children cannot always express their experiences in clear language. Some are afraid, some do not understand that what happened to them was improper, and some think that if they speak they will not be believed or will be blamed instead. The hesitation grows when a familiar and respected person is involved — the child may have been taught to respect that person, is used to obeying them, or stays silent fearing that speaking against them will hurt people in the family or the institution.

Children therefore need to be taught, in age-appropriate language, that being aware of their own body and personal boundaries matters; that discomfort with a touch, words or behaviour can be expressed; and that if someone threatens them, tells them to keep a secret or blackmails them with personal photos, they can seek help from a trusted person. Such teaching is needed in families, schools, madrasas and other educational institutions. It does not mean creating fear in children, but making them confident so they can recognise danger and know they have the right to ask for help.

For parents, the guidance is that if a child's behaviour suddenly changes, if unusual fear appears, or if the child becomes reluctant to go to a particular person, they should listen carefully rather than scold. These signs alone are not proof of abuse, but they are reason enough to enquire calmly.

Teachers, religious leaders, trainers, doctors and senior university students all earn the trust of others in their roles. But the responsibility for child protection cannot be left to individual goodwill; there must also be systems that prevent unwanted behaviour, take complaints seriously and ensure neutral investigation when needed.

Every educational institution should have an effective child protection policy, a designated protection officer, a way to complain while preserving confidentiality, and clear rules on what steps follow a complaint, the discussion urged. Regular training for teachers and staff, guidelines for safe conduct when working alone with children, and not placing an accused person's identity or an institution's reputation above a child's safety were also emphasised. At the same time, neutral investigation of complaints, due process, and protection of the victim's identity and dignity must be ensured.

These measures are not only for madrasas or schools. Universities, residential institutions, coaching centres, sports training centres and every institution that works with children need their own protection systems, and the risks of online communication, personal photos and digital blackmailing should be included in them.

However good an institutional policy is, its benefit stays limited if a child does not find a safe environment to speak at home. If a child reports abuse, the first response should be to listen with belief, ensure their safety and seek necessary professional help — not to burden them with questions about why they did not speak earlier, why they went there or why they did not resist. Just as breaking the silence over a complaint is essential, so is refraining from spreading a victim's identity on social media, circulating unverified information, or declaring someone guilty before the legal process ends.